By John Dike, Osogbo
National Assembly and Osun State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of Accord Party have called for the immediate redeployment of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Gotan, over alleged partisanship and what they described as his failure to effectively address the growing wave of political violence in the state.
Allso, they raised concerns over an alleged plot by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to orchestrate violence and destabilize Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Addressing journalists at a press conference in Osogbo on Friday, the Accord caucus, comprising seven members of the National Assembly and 25 members of the Osun State House of Assembly, alleged that intelligence reports available to them indicated plans by APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and other party leaders to sponsor widespread violence across the state.
According to the lawmakers, the alleged plan is aimed at creating an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity that could be exploited to justify the declaration of a state of emergency in Osun State before the forthcoming governorship election.
Speaking on behalf of the caucus, Senator Lere Oyewumi, Hon. Bamidele Salam and the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Olumide Egbedun, alleged that the APC had become increasingly desperate due to what they described as its poor electoral prospects ahead of the poll.
The legislators claimed that the alleged plot includes attacks on members and supporters of the Accord Party, destruction of campaign materials, vandalization of billboards belonging to the party, and deliberate efforts to disrupt political rallies and campaign activities in different parts of the state.
“The APC candidate and leaders of the party, having realised their electoral hopelessness and imminent defeat at the polls, have allegedly concluded plans to unleash violence and mayhem on a scale unprecedented in the history of Osun State,” the caucus stated.
They further alleged that intelligence reports at their disposal suggested plans for targeted attacks against prominent Accord leaders and supporters across the state, warning that such actions could threaten the peaceful conduct of the election and undermine democratic participation.
According to the lawmakers, the ultimate objective of the alleged scheme is to create sufficient instability capable of providing justification for emergency rule and the appointment of an administrator before the scheduled election.
The caucus maintained that the information available to them was too serious to ignore and called on relevant security agencies and stakeholders to immediately investigate the allegations and take preventive measures.
The lawmakers cited recent incidents of political violence in the state as evidence of what they described as a systematic campaign of intimidation against members of the Accord Party.
They specifically referenced the killing of a 34-year-old Accord supporter, Kolade Eluyera, in Irewole Local Government Area, lamenting that despite the passage of time, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
According to them, the failure of law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators has continued to raise concerns among party members and residents regarding the commitment of security
agencies to ensuring justice.
The lawmakers also recalled the shooting of the Accord chairman in Osogbo Local Government Area, Hon. Asimiyu Ajibola, who they said remains hospitalized after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during an attack allegedly linked to political violence.
They further alleged that several other supporters of the party had been attacked in different parts of the state, including Ile-Ife, Ede and Osogbo, allegedly because of their political affiliation.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the response of security agencies to reported cases of violence, the legislators lamented that there had been no significant arrests, prosecutions or visible efforts to bring perpetrators to justice despite repeated petitions and complaints.
The lawmakers accused the Osun State Police Command of failing to act decisively against those responsible for political violence and alleged that the command had not demonstrated sufficient neutrality among political actors.
Particularly, they criticized Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan, accusing him of exhibiting partisan tendencies and compromising the integrity and impartiality expected of his office.
According to the caucus, campaign billboards belonging to the Accord Party have been vandalized in several locations across the state without any meaningful effort by law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible
They also alleged that the leadership of the police command had attempted to frustrate the operations of community-based security structures at a period when insecurity remains a major concern across many parts of the country.
The lawmakers called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, to immediately redeploy Osun State Commissioner of Police, arguing that public confidence in his ability to provide a level playing field for all political parties had diminished significantly.
They disclosed that several petitions and complaints detailing their concerns had already been forwarded to the office of the Inspector-General of Police for necessary action.
According to the caucus, the demand for the redeployment of the commissioner was informed by the current security challenges confronting the state and the need to restore public confidence in the neutrality of law enforcement agencies ahead of the governorship election.
The lawmakers also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of all individuals allegedly linked to attacks on Accord members and supporters in various parts of the state.
Responding to allegations by the opposition APC that the state government was harbouring political thugs within Government House, the lawmakers dismissed the claim as false, baseless and politically motivated.
They maintained that Government House remains an official facility meant for the conduct of government business and the administration of the state, insisting that no political thugs were being sheltered there.
The caucus further appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct all security agencies operating in Osun State to remain professional, impartial and committed to preventing electoral violence before, during and after the governorship election.
They also called on civil society organisations, election observers, the media, the National Peace Committee and members of the international community to closely monitor political developments in Osun State as the election draws nearer.
The lawmakers stressed that the people of Osun State are committed to peaceful democratic participation and should not be subjected to violence, intimidation or any form of electoral manipulation.
“We wish to make it abundantly clear that the people of Osun State desire peace. They are prepared to exercise their democratic rights through the ballot box and not through violence. No individual or group should be allowed to undermine the democratic process through acts of intimidation and lawlessness,” the caucus declared.
They urged all stakeholders to take proactive measures to safeguard democracy and ensure that the August 15 governorship election is conducted in a peaceful, transparent and credible atmosphere.
The caucus warned that history would judge harshly those who fail to act in the face of threats to democratic governance, stressing that their decision to speak out was motivated by the need to protect peace, justice and democratic accountability in Osun State.
They reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful political engagement and called on security agencies to rise above partisan interests and uphold their constitutional responsibility of guaranteeing a free, fair and violence-free electoral process in the state.
